On Thursday, August 31, the new locally made and inspired TV show One Night premiered at Anita's Theatre in Thirroul, attracting a glamorous crowd of local creatives, Sydney influencers, Paramount Plus, Screen Illawarra, and friends and family.

I’ve been working at Screen Illawarra as the projects and relations manager for nearly two years, and I was very lucky to see this project from its early stages through to the premiere.

Easy Tiger is the production company behind One Night, and Ian Collie, the producer/founder of Easy Tiger, is our Screen Illawarra ambassador, so this meant we were involved with the project from the moment they considered filming in the Illawarra right through to its debut screening in Thirroul.

There hasn't been a TV show down here since Headlands on Channel 7, and especially not a show that celebrates the beautiful landscapes of the Illawarra as well as One Night does.

There has been an increased interest in filming here over the past few years. Last year Planet of The Apes was shot in Helensburgh and Albion Park, and Disney+ shot the upcoming drama The Last Days of the Space Age at Thirroul Beach (as a substitute for Perth's coastline). What is special about One Night, however, is that it celebrates local stories authentically, and even uses the real suburb names.

Local casting director Anousha Zarkesh has a sharp eye for casting, and she’s done such a great job once again. One Night stars Jodie Whittaker (who I watched in Broadchurch all through lockdowns), local actor Yael Stone, Kat Stewart, Nicole da Silva, George Mason and more.

Screen Illawarra got lots of local extras involved (a lot of whom are burgeoning filmmakers and actors themselves). I helped the locations manager find shoot locations and local security services, and we got members crewed on the project.

I worked on the show casually, and did letterbox drops in Thirroul, Austinmer, Wombarra, and Stanwell Tops prior to filming days.

Having local knowledge – and a five-minute work commute – does set you apart when working on a production. Though, of course, on most local productions I still end up having to drive to Sydney for production tasks.

For the premiere, we organised half of the guest list, ran a competition for double passes and organised the Welcome to Country with Uncle Richard Davis which was a huge success. I met with Paramount Plus weekly to help with the organisation, engaged Glenbernie Orchard's Darkes Cider for the post-screening drinks service, and helped book Headlands Hotel for the VIP lunch before the premiere.

My favourite part of this process was discovering how many local creatives we had, tapping into communities I hadn’t encountered before, and inviting them along to all celebrate the talent in our region.

Watching the show at the premiere for the first time was surreal. It really puts filmmaking into perspective when you see your hometown on screen.

I’d read the pilot episode but seeing the shoot locations edited together that are actually all in different suburbs, seeing 'Thirroul' still on the Thirroul Petrol Station sign instead of using a fictional name, and the way the directors showcased the beauty of where we live, it shows how storytelling can suspend our disbelief to create a new world, all while telling a compelling story at the heart of it.

I hope the show has huge success and I’m very proud to have played a small part in the process.

The last word goes to producer Ian Collie of Easy Tiger, the company behind One Night, Colin From Accounts, The Twelve and Jack Irish: "The Illawarra is an undiscovered jewel for Film and TV productions. With the winding road of Sea Cliff Bridge, the majestic and imposing escarpment and pristine coastline and beaches, this region was the perfect canvass for our Paramount + TV series ONE NIGHT. A big shout out to the enthusiastic and diligent team at Screen Illawarra who assisted us with locations, crewing and casting."